The present invention relates to a center server for placing an order for photograph printing which uses a communication network such as the Internet, and an image network system including the center server.
In recent years, digital cameras have rapidly gained in popularity. Communication networks such as the Internet have also come into wide use.
An image shot with a digital camera is treated as digital image data. Thus, the image can be transmitted through the communication network, and various services have been proposed/deployed by using the communication network.
For example, JP 2005-49933 A discloses a system which enables, in a network photograph service for storing an image (image data) of a service user in a server connected by using a communication network such as the Internet and for publicly offering this image to a third party, the load on a service operator to be reduced by counting the image data amount for each customer, changing service contents such as expiration date or storage amount according to the user's state of use, and sending an error message to inhibit further transfer/storage of images when the amount of image data exceeds the maximum storage amount irrespective of whether the image data is for an unordered image or an ordered image.
JP 2002-342741 A discloses a system of an digital album in which images sent from service users by using the same communication network are stored/managed in a server on a user unit basis, and provided as an digital album through the network, and when nothing is transmitted from users for a predetermined period or longer, the images registered by the users are deleted to enable effective use of a data storage area of server resources or the like.
Further, JP 2003-330763 A discloses an information processing system for deleting images in a predetermined cycle. In the system, a storage period is set for an image at the time of uploading the image, and when the storage period has passed, the image whose storage period has passed is retrieved regularly by using a system timer in the server which is preset, or the like, thereby deleting the corresponding image. This system is capable of setting the conditions as to the storage periods of images by allowing a user to set predetermined starting points of the storage periods, so images can be deleted effectively.
In addition, photofinishers deploy so-called network printing services in which the photofinishers obtain images shot by customers and print order information using the communication network to create photographic prints having the images reproduced thereon according to the order information, and provide the prints created according to the received order to the customers by delivering them home or to designated shops.
In a commercial transaction in a virtual market using a conventional communication network, a point system in which points are given according to a commercial transaction record is deployed as shown in JP 2002-259781 A. Such point system has been widely introduced even to the field of photograph print ordering by network printing services.